Roy began his career at Rockmount F.C. in Cork, Ireland, before moving to Cobh Ramblers. He was then spotted by Forrest scouts and signed for Nottingham Forrest for £100,000 in 1990.

Roy quickly made his mark at Nottingham Forest, making his debut against Liverpool. His form made him catch the eye of the national selectors and he was soon called up for the Republic of Ireland side. Roy certainly made his mark with Forrest as a combative midfielder and he was on the loosing side in both FA and League Cup finals, during his time with them. However, Forest's relegation in 1993 made a move inevitable and Alex Ferguson paid £3.75million for him, then an English record. United had to compete with Blackburn Rovers for his services and Roy even shook hands on a deal with Rovers manager Kenny Dalglish, before signing for Manchester United. (Roy really could have been 'Roy of the Rovers!'). He immediately went into the first team at United, playing in centre-midfield alongside Paul Ince and fitted in immediately. His first season was an astonishing one, with only one defeat in the League Cup final preventing a domestic treble.

His enthusiasm often got the better of him, as illustrated by his 1995 FA Cup semi-final sending-off for stamping on Crystal Palace's Gareth Southgate. Indeed, his poor disciplinary record was a cause for concern with United battling on so many fronts in the 1990's, but Alex Ferguson saw his buccaneering style as the perfect foil for the likes of Beckham and Giggs. After the retirement of Éric Cantona in 1997, Roy was given the honour of being team captain, although he missed most of the 1997/1998 season because of a cruciate ligament injury, caused by an ill-timed challenge on Leeds United player Alf Inge Haaland. The circumstances of this injury allegedly had Keane laying prone on the ground, with Haaland stood over him, accusing him of feigning injury. United were top of the league at the time, but their form dropped without Roy and they finished the season without a trophy.

Roy returned, however, to captain the club to an unprecedented treble in 1999 including the FA Premier League, FA Cup, and UEFA Champions League. One of his finest performances included an inspirational display to haul his team back from two goals down during the second-legged semi-final against Juventus, scoring a header to start United's comeback. This was real Roy of the Rovers stuff!

Unfortunately, as recompense for tripping Zinedine Zidane, he received a yellow card that ruled him out of the final yet he played on as valiant as ever and Manchester United qualified. United defeated Bayern Munich at Nou Camp 2-1 to win the Champions League, scoring twice in injury time after trailing one-nil for most of the match. Roy received a winner's medal though he said that he has not looked at it since. As a recognition for his efforts, in that fantastic season, Roy was voted PFA Players' Player of the Year in 2000.

Roy then played a major role in qualification for the Republic of Ireland for the 2002 FIFA World Cup before he was sent home after an argument with manager, Mick McCarthy. In February 2005, he scored his 50th goal for Manchester United in a league game against Birmingham City and his appearance in the 2005 FA Cup final (which United lost to Arsenal in a penalty shoot out) was his seventh such game, an all-time record.

The most controversial aspect of the year for him was his shock return to international football, having previously retired from the Irish team, following his spat with Mick McCarthy. He went on to again become a fixture in the centre of the Irish midfield for new boss Brian Kerr, helping them to establish themselves in a tough World Cup 2006 qualifying group.

Although Roy attracted praise as a player, he was also sent off eleven times in his career, and notably suspended twice for the same foul on Alf Inge Haaland, once for the foul and again after admitting in his autobiography that the foul was deliberate, in revenge for his earlier spat with Haaland while he was at Leeds United.

In November 2005, he left United after publicly criticising his team-mates for their lacklustre performances and signed for his boyhood favourites, Glasgow Celtic for the remainder of the Scottish Premier League season. He began playing for them in January 2006.

Manchester United reached an agreement with Roy allowing him to leave the club rather than waiting for his contract to expire and also offered him a testimonial, in recognition of his 12½ years at Old Trafford. The club also thanked him for his Roy of the Rovers like contribution as a player. His testimonial was played at Old Trafford at the end of the 2005/2006 season and he played one half for Celtic and one half for Manchester United.

Roy played for Celtic for the remainder of the season, but retired from playing professional football on Monday June 12, 2006, after receiving medical advice on a long standing hip problem.

Roy led United to nine major honours during his captaincy from 1997 to 2005, making him Manchester United's most successful captain. He was also selected to the FIFA 100, a list of the greatest living footballers picked by Pelé, as the sole representative of the Republic of Ireland and was inducted into the English Football Hall of Fame in 2004 in recognition of his unprecedented  impact on the English league.

An all round player in true comparison to Roy of the Rovers, he blended inspirational leadership, fine distribution, clinical tackling and powerful running with a fierce competitiveness. Regarded by Sir Alex Ferguson as the best player in his 20 year reign at Manchester United, he was a great ambassador for the game during his playing years and is now proving himself as a manager of future note with Championship side Sunderland.

 Please extend a warm welcome to Roy Keane to the Roy of the Rovers Hall of Fame.